Colegiul National Sfantul Sava Ministerul Educatiei, Cercetarii, Tineretului si Sportului

Lucrare de atestat
Of mice and men by John Steinbeck - Analysis

Profesor coordonator: Stegarescu Alina

Elev: Damoc Elena Index

I. Introduction.2 II. Main Body..2 1)Authors Biography2 2)About the novel4 3)Summary and Chapter Analysis..5 4)Characters21 5)Major Themes..24 6)Quotations31 III. Conclusion.35 IV. Bibliography..36

I. Introduction
Of Mice and Men was Steinbeck's first attempt at writing in the form of novelplay, termed a "play-novelette" by one critic. Structured in three acts of two chapters each, it is intended to be both a novella and a script for a play. He wanted to write a novel that could be played from its lines, or a play that could be read like a novel. Steinbeck originally titled it Something That Happened (referring to the events of the book as "something that happened" because nobody can be really blamed for the tragedy that unfolds in the story), however, he changed the title after reading Robert Burns's poem To a Mouse.Burns's poem tells of the regret the narrator feels for having destroyed the home of a mouse while plowing his field. The novel deals with the issues dear to Steinbecks heart - poverty, homelessness, the exploitation of itinerant workers, the failure of the American Dream, Americas general moral decline.

II. Main Body

1)Authors biography
John Steinbeck was born in 1902 in Salinas, California, a region that became the setting for much of his fiction, including Of Mice and Men. As a teenager, he spent his summers working as a hired hand on neighboring ranches, where his experiences of rural California and its people impressed him deeply. In 1919, he enrolled at Stanford University, where he studied intermittently for the next six years before finally leaving without having earned a degree. For the next five years, he worked as a reporter and then as caretaker for a Lake Tahoe estate while he completed his first novel, an adventure story called Cup of Gold, which was published in 1929. Critical and commercial success did not come for another six years, when Tortilla Flat was published in 1935, at which point Steinbeck was finally able to support himself entirely with his writing. Steinbecks best-known works deal intimately with the plight of desperately poor California wanderers, who, despite the cruelty of their circumstances, often triumph 3

spiritually. Always politically involved, Steinbeck followed Tortilla Flat with three novels about the plight of the California laboring class, beginning with In Dubious Battle in 1936. Of Mice and Men followed in 1937, and The Grapes of Wrath won the 1940 Pulitzer Prize and became Steinbecks most famous novel. Steinbeck sets Of Mice and Men against the backdrop of Depression-era America. The economic conditions of the time victimized workers like George and Lennie, whose quest for land was thwarted by cruel and powerful forces beyond their control, but whose tragedy was marked, ultimately, by steadfast compassion and love. Critical opinions of Steinbecks work have always been mixed. Both stylistically and in his emphasis on manhood and male relationships, which figure heavily in Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck was strongly influenced by his contemporary, Ernest Hemingway. Even though Steinbeck was hailed as a great author in the 1930s and 1940s, and won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1962, many critics have faulted his works for being superficial, sentimental, and overly moralistic. Though Of Mice and Men is regarded by some as his greatest achievement, many critics argue that it suffers from one-dimensional characters and an excessively deterministic plot, which renders the lesson of the novella more important than the people in it. Steinbeck continued writing throughout the 1940s and 1950s. He went to Europe during World War II, then worked in Hollywood both as a filmmaker and a scriptwriter for such movies as Viva Zapata! (1950). His important later works include East of Eden (1952), a sprawling family saga set in California, and Travels with Charley (1962), a journalistic account of his tour of America. He died in New York City in 1968. Steinbeck's reputation is dependent primarily on the naturalistic, proletarian-themed novels that he wrote during the Depression. It is in these works that Steinbeck is most effective at building rich, symbolic structures and conveying the archetypal qualities of his characters. Steinbeck received the Nobel Prize for literature in 1962. In his acceptance speech for the 1962 Nobel Prize in literature, Steinbeck said: . . . the writer is delegated to declare and to celebrate mans proven capacity for greatness of heart and spiritfor gallantry in defeat, for courage, compassion and love. In the endless war against weakness and despair, these are the bright rally flags of hope 4

and of emulation. I hold that a writer who does not passionately believe in the perfectibility of man has no dedication nor any membership in literature.

2) About the novel

John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, published in 1937, is one of the author's most widely read novels, largely due to its ubiquitous presence in the high school curriculum. As a result, this mythic story of two opposites - the clever, wiry George Milton and the lumbering, powerful Lennie Small - has assumed an important place in the American literary canon. The novel is deceptively simple - it is short and straight-forwardly written. But beneath this approachable surface Steinbeck explores mysterious and haunting themes, largely pivoting on the search for comfort, decency and companionship in a lonely, cruel world. Of Mice and Men was Steinbeck's seventh novel. Though he had achieved critical and popular success with his two preceding novels, Tortilla Flat (1935) and In Dubious Battle (1936), Of Mice and Men was an instant success on another level altogether. The book was chosen as a Book-of-the-Month club selection and garnered Steinbeck the financial stability and creative confidence necessary for his embarkation on his subsequent novel, The Grapes of Wrath (1939), which continues to be viewed as the best work of his career. Steinbeck drew his inspiration for the work from his experience living and working as a "bindlestiff" - or itinerant farmhand - during the 1920s. In a 1937 interview in The New York Times, Steinbeck said that the character of Lennie was based on a mentally impaired man he met in his travels who was prone to episodes of uncontrollable rage. The central question of where or how such a man might fit into society drives the action of Of Mice and Men, and the rest of the characters in the book are developed largely in terms of their relationships to this enigmatic central figure. Steinbeck's novel is not, in the strictest sense, a novel; it's better described as a novelized play. The work is easily divisible into three acts of two scenes each, with each chapter comprising a scene. These chapters all take place in fixed locations. Chapter One occurs, aside from a brief stroll at the very opening, at a clearing by the Salinas River; Chapters Two and Three occur in the bunk house at the ranch where Lennie and George 5

have found work; Chapter Four occurs in the quarters of Crooks, the black stable buck; Chapter Five takes place in the barn; and Chapter Six brings us back to the clearing by the river. In all cases, the introduction and description of characters largely occurs in dialogue rather than in expository prose. With rare exceptions, Steinbeck's narrator is quite unobtrusive. He writes in a combination of stage-directions and dialogue - in other words, Of Mice and Men is very much like a play. The Steinbeck critic Susan Shillinglaw describes the work as an experimental "play-novelette, intended to be both a novella and a script for a play." This play-like structure allowed the work to be quickly adapted to the stage, with the first production mounted on Broadway in 1937, the year of the novel's publication. This production was quite successful, and was directed by the famous playwright George S. Kaufman. The play was revived in 1974 with James Earl Jones in the role of Lennie. Of Mice and Men has also been frequently adapted into cinema - first in 1939, in a production directed by Lewis Milestone (who regularly and skillfully directed adaptations of literary works, including All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)), with Lon Chaney, Jr. and Lennie and Burgess Merideth as George. Most recently the novel was adapted in 1992, with Gary Sinise playing George and John Malkovich in the role of Lennie. This version was well-received by critics and regularly supplements high school English class units on the novel.

3) Summary and Chapter Analysis Chapter 1 a)Summary

The story debuts with the image of two men walking along a riverbed in rural California, a stunning, wooded region, at the base of golden foothill slopes. One of them, whose name is George, is small, lean, with sharp features and intelligent eyes, whereas his friend, Lennie, stands out with his large build and awkwardness. Both of them wear farmhand attires.

As Lennie stops by the river to drink, his companion warns him to be careful, otherwise he will get sick again from the water.George is concerned for his friends wellbeing, as the bigger man has a slight intellectual disability. Since the bus driver dropped them off far from the ranch on which the two had been hired to work, George is irritated and snaps at Lennie when he sees him holding a dead mouse in his hand. Although Lennie claims that he just wanted to pet the mouse, that its death isnt his fault, George throws it in the river, warning his friend to watch his behavior on their upcoming meeting with their new boss.He does not want to face the same problems as in the previous place they had worked. As they stop to spend the night in the clearing, and George prepares their supper, Lennie recovers the dead mouse from the river, only to be found out by the other man, who takes it again from him. Lennie doesnt know his own strength, and in his genuine affection for small pets, he ends up hurting or killing them by accident. George scolds Lennie for his lack of cautiousness, and tells him that his life would be better if he didnt have to look after Lennie. The reason for them being chased out of Weed is revealed. Lennie had been accused of assaulting a girl, when he had just wanted to feel the soft fabric of her dress. Feeling guilty after shouting at his friend, George feels ashamed of his outburst and, at Lennies request, talks about how happy they will be when they have their own farm, with a vegetable patch and a rabbit hutch, which will be tended by Lennie. Before falling asleep, George tells Lennie that if he runs into problems in the future, he should return to their camping place, hide and wait for George to find him.

b)Analysis
Steinbeck starts the opening pages of his novella with the descriptive scene of a clearing whose beauty and tranquillity paint a heavenly picture, creating the perfect background for the friendship between George and Lennie and their shared idyllic dream of owning a farm. The relationship between the two men is emphasized from the beginning of the dialogue.Their social background is that of uneducated manual laborers, highlighted by their language, which lacks sophistication and finesse, but is rich in emotion and sometimes even musical.

From the beginning of the novella, the two mens behaviour is rather static, making the reader assume that the characters are not notably dynamic. Although George constantly complains about the burden of always having to take care of Lennie - Life would be so easy without Lennie his words are unconvincing and not really sincere, resembling the hollow threats that parents sometimes say to children in order to make them behave. Even the way he talks to Lennie about how things are going to be at the farm they plan to own reminds us of a parent telling a bedtime story to his child. Lennies similarity to a child is emphasized by the fact that he also likes to hear he same story about the rabbits, as he calls it countless times, even if he already knows it by heart. Though George isnt Lonnies parent, he is the closest to a father figure to the big, childlike man. In order to respect the traits of a tragedy, the authors description of the farm is beautifully written and George and Lennies brotherly bond is portrayed as being very strong, so that the characters fall in the end will be greater. The doom that seems to be awaiting the two men is foreshadowed from the very first pages of the novella. The clearings heavenly appearance is deceiving, being, in reality, a place full of hidden dangers. An example would be the image of the rabbits, resembling gray, sculptured stones, that run to their hiding, when they hear footsteps approaching, highlighting the predatory, cruel world that will eventually shatter the protagonists dream. Lennies dead mouse stands as a powerful symbol of the tragic end that feeble, unsuspicious beings usually have. After all, Lennies mental disability makes him as gullible and as powerless as a mouse, in spite of his impressive physical force. The mouses death creates a convincing image of the imminent doom. When also taking into consideration Lennies unintentionally bothersome conduct, which led to them being chased out of Woods, and the fact that George appears to anticipate that his friend will eventually encounter troubles at the ranch, the tragic course of the events seems inevitable.

Chapter 2 a)Summary
As Lennie and George arrive the following day at the ranch bunkhouse an austere place where all the hired hands sleep - they are welcomed by Candy, an old handyman with a missing arm. When George asks about the boss, Candy informs them that despite him being angry for their late arrival, he is a pretty nice fela. The bosss appearance is followed by questions about the couples delay and George blaming the bus driver. In order to avoid Lennies mental condition being revealed when the boss asks te bigger man for details about their last employment, George speaks in his name. Lennies lack of intelligence becomes evident, though, when he inteferes in the dialogue.The boss is surprised of Georges protectiveness towards a man who cant take care of himself, and finds it suspicious, but George reassures him by saying Lennie is his cousin, and that he had been his guardian since he was hit in the head by a horse, when he was younger. The two are given the task of working with the grain teams, supervised by a man called Slim. Once they are left alone, George scolds Lennie for interfering, but as he expresses his relief about them not being related, Candy overhears him. George warns the older man not to stick his nose in their business, and Candy assures him that their affairs do not interest him at all. The handyman then shows them his half-blind sheepdog, which has accompanied him since it was a puppy. Soon, they are joined by the bosss son, Curley, a violent and mean ex-boxer, wearing a distinguishing outfit, who demands that the big guy talk, referring to Lennie. After the small young man leaves, Candy relates that Curley enjoys making fun of big men, probably having a height complex, and that he often loses his temper, especially since his marriage to a flirting tart. As Connie leaves, George warns Lennie to avoid Curley, since doing otherwise might put their jobs in danger, and Lennie agrees, obediently. With the pretence of looking for her husband, Curleys wife makes an appearance and starts flirting with the two new employees. When, after that, Lennie expresses his admiration for the womans prettiness, his friend shows anger and orders him to stay away from her, but then speaks more gently as Lennie looks frightened of Georges outburst. 9

The two men meet Slim as he enters the bunkhouse, standing out from the other workers, having a gravity in his maner.The man is impressed by Lennie and Georges strong bond and the way they take care of each other. As the men prepare to leave for dinner, Curley comes again, looking for his wife, and then angrily strides out of the bunkhouse, finding out where she was. George fears that his dislike for Curley will lead to troubles.

b)Analysis
George and Lennies stay at the bunkhouse has very few comforts. The struggles of the mens life is evident when taking into consideration the rough fabric of the sleeping mattresses, the apple boxes fixed on the walls, where they put their belongings, or Georges fear of a lice infestation. For those who live at the ranch the well-being of the weak, feeble ones doesnt represent a priority. It is a society in which only the strongest survive, the debilitated lives arent considered worthy of protection. A powerful example of the cruel nature of the world in the novella is set by Slim, who intentionally drowns four out of the nine puppies that his dog has given birth to, because not all of them would have survived on the long term, but also by Carson, one of the hired hands, who suggests that Candys old dog be replaced with one of the new-born ones. Although being father and son usually implies a character resemblance, this is not true in the boss and Curleys case. The bosss fair-mindedness is acknowledged by Candy himself, who describes him as being a pretty nice fella, who had given his men whiskey for Christmas, and is contrastive with Curleys bad temper and maliciousness. Through the portrayal of Curleys character, Steinbeck depicts the wrong way social power expreses itself. Curleys violent and embittered outbursts are caused by self-doubts and jealousy, and are often directed at big men, as we find out from Candy: kind of like hes mad at em because he aint a big guy. Though Curley holds most of the power at the ranch, due to his social position and ability to dominate the weaker ones, Slim also represents an authority figure, as he is self-composed and is often sought for advice by the men. As George and Lennie realize that the bosss son might cause them problems, they make a promise of being careful and staying close to each other. Steinbeck 10

promotes throughout the novella the romanticized friendship between men, a bond so strong that it seems to strive through any difficulties. The author deliberately features men rather than women, as the only two significant feminine characters are the Curley wife, a meddlesome tramp, as Candy describes her, and Lennies Aunt Clara, who is only mentioned. The narrators opinion of women doesnt seem to be very favorable, since Curleys wife is never given a name, always being identified in reference to her husband, and the other characters attitude toward her is hardly kind. Her behavior, which was not considered proper for a married woman, is somehow justified by Curleys loathsome attitude towards her, his exaggerated jealousy. Despite Steinbecks concern for depicting the dignity with which those situated on a low social level strive through live, women in the novel are deliberately assigned with the lowliest roles: caretakers of men and sex objects. Womens sexuality is considered a trap which enslaves and destroys men. This may be one of the reasons why women are not a part of George and Lennies future plans, as they imagine themselves alone, without the complication a female presence would bring to their dream of owning a farm. Steinbeck seems to draw a parallel to the mans expulsion from the Garden of Eden, symbolizing the mans fall from perfection, in which the temptation presented by the woman is considered to have played a great part.

Chapter 3 a) Summary
As Slim and George come back to the bunkhouse at a workdays end, George expresses his gratitude towards Slim for having accepted to give one of the newborn pups to Lennie, assuring the older man that despite his dumbness, his friend is a good man. George and Lennies friendship is acknowledged and appreciated by Slim, who considers it a rare thing in a world where no one seems to give a damn about nobody. As George tells Slim his and Lennies story, we find out that after aunt Claras death George became the one in charge of the bigger man. George confesses, a little bit ashamed, that in the beginning he had made fun of Lennies lack of intelligence, but after daring Lennie, who didnt know how to swim, to jump in a river and afterwards barely 11

managing to save him from drowning, he began caring for him, always keeping him out f trouble. He also confides to Slim why they were had been from Weeds. As Lennie appears in the room, hiding the puppy in his coat, George scolds him for separating it of its mother, and asks him to take it back. Afterwards, Carlson and Candy enter the bunkhouse, arguing about Candys dog, which, in Carlsond opinion, stinks and aint no good to himself and should be shot. Candy says that the dog has been his companion for too many years to kill it, but Slim persuades him to put the creature out of its sufferance, offering him a newborn puppy in exchange. After unwillingly agreeing to let Carlson kill the dog, Candy hears the death bringing shot in the distance and overwhelmed, turns himself to the wall. As Slim leaves, his assistance being required by a stable-hand, the man talk about Curleys wife while playing cards, George stating his first impression of her: Shes a jailbait all set on the trigger. George refuses Whits offer of accompanying them to the local whorehouse, saying that him and Lennie need to keep their money for the stake theyre trying to put together. The scene continues with Carlsons return, avoiding Candys eyes, and Curleys entrance, searching his wandering wife again. Blinded by jealousy, Curley strides angry towards the barn when he finds out about Slim being there. Left alone with Lennie and Candy, George warns his friend of the danger Curleys wife might represent to them. At Lennies request, George tells him again about the farm, leading to questions from Candy about such a wonderful place, and his hopeful request of contributing with his lifetime savings to help them buy it, if they allow him in exchange to live there, too. Though guarded at first, George agrees, hoping that a month of working at the ranch will provide the necessary amount of money for them to buy the house, and tells them not to speak to others about it. Candy expresses his regret about having let his dog dye at the hands of a stranger, and wishes he had done it himself. After Curley and the hands return, he apologizes to Slim for his false accusations. When the others make fun of him, Curley is enraged, but since he knows he cant beat Slim in a fight, he directs his anger towards Lennie, and attacks the big, unassuming man. After Curley ignores Lennies pleas of being left alone, and bloodies his face and hits him in the gut, George cant stand seeing his friend suffer anymore, and encourages Lennie to 12

fight back. At the hearing of Georges voice, Lennie easily breaks Curley hand. As Slim takes the bosss son to a doctor, he warns him that if he fires George or Lennie, he will be the object of ridicule of the entire ranch, and receives Curleys unwilling consentment to let them keep their jobs. Back in the barn, Lennie is afraid that what has happened will lead to him not being allowed to take care of the rabbits at the farm anymore, but George consoles him, promising that he will.

b) Analysis
The origins of George and Lennies friendship are revealed to the reader during the first ones confession to Slim, who thinks that few childhood relationships, like theirs, develop into a sincere, rare adult friendship. It took Lennies nearly drowning for George to realize, after mocking and taking advantage of the big, gentle man in the beginning, that it is wrong to cause the sufferance of those weaker than you with the only purpose of having fun. But Georges moral beliefs seem to contrast with the predatory nature of the world of the ranch-hands, in which the weak are hunt down by the strong. Candys dogs death is an illustrative example of the merciless way the powerless are attacked and eliminated. Although having become useless for guarding sheep, the dog has a great emotional value for Candy. Despite his attachment to the pet, the cruel life on the ranch leaves no other option but a quick, as painless as possible death, which Carlson offers to carry through. Slims agreement is another proof that in their world, the feeble have little hope of survival. Weakness appears to define, in a way or another, almost all the characters in the novella. Most of the personages seem to find themselves outside the standard social constructions, being marked either by a physical or mental handicap, age, class, race, or gender, a fact that leads to each one of their sufferance. Life at the ranch follows with no exception strict, rigid rules, that despite being unwritten, have the value of laws. The fact that aged men are cast away from the ranch, or that black workers access in the bunkhouse is not allowed is only an example among many others. George and Lennies idyllic vision of the farm seems to be the only serene aspect of their lives, and has the power of easing, even if for a little time, the hurt. In the beginning of the book, the story of the farm appeases George and Lennie after their 13

expulsion from Weeds, and in the present chapter it soothes Candys pain at the loss of his dog, and tranquilizes Lennie after the violent confrontation with Curley. Throughout the novel, their dream will turn out not to be a cure, but a temporary flee from the problems. The narrative thread progresses toward the tragic end, as some events in this chapter foretell. Georges story of Lennies comportment in Weeds and his reactions in the run-in with Curley reveal that, when in a state of confusion or fright, Lennie manifests great physical strength, which will prove to be fatal not just to mice in the following chapters. The quick, painless way in which Carlson shoots Candys dog in the back of the head mirrors Lennies death in the end of the book. Candys expressed wish that he had shot the dog himself, instead of letting a stranger do it foretells Georges painfully taken decision to kill his best friend himself.

Chapter 4 a) Summary
The chapter opens with Crooks a proud, aloof black ranch-hand in charge with the stables, whose by-name comes from having a crooked back sitting in the tackle room. Lennie enters the room, looking for some companionship. Being a black man, Crookss acces in the bunkhouse is forbidden, which he resents, so he tells Lennie that white men are not welcome in his quarters, either. Lennie doesnt catch the meaning of his words, and explains that since the others have gone into town, he thought that they could keep each other company. Then Lennie flashes an innocent disarming smile, which persuades Crooks to let him in. In his cheerful babble, Lennie forgets his promise to George concerning the farm, and tells the stable-hand about their plan, but Crooks only regards the fantasy as a result of Lennies childlike intellect. It is his turn then to tell Lennie about his previous days of working on a chicken farm. Though white children enjoyed his presence, loneliness was his best companion, even back then. As a child, belonging to the only black family in the area, his father always reminded him about not befriending white people, an advice that he had not understood at that time, but which had proved itself to be useful in the years to come. Now, as the only black man on the ranch, he resents the unfair social norms that 14

require him to sleep alone in the stable. Feeling weak and vulnerable himself, Crooks cruelly suggests that George might never return from town. He enjoys torturing Lennie, until Lennie becomes angry and threatens Crooks, demanding to know Who hurt George? Crooks hastily backs down, promising that George will come back, and begins to talk about his childhood again, which returns Lennie to his dreams of owning the farm. Crooks bitterly says that every ranch-hand has the same dream. He adds that he has seen countless men go on about the same piece of land, but nothing ever comes of it. A little piece of land, Crooks claims, is as hard to find as heaven. Candy eventually joins them, entering Crookss room for the first time in all of the years they have worked together. Both men are uncomfortable at first but Candy is respectful and Crooks pleased to have more company. Candy talks to Lennie about raising rabbits on the farm. He has been busy calculating numbers and thinks he knows how the farm can make some money with rabbits. Crooks continues to belittle their dream until Candy insists that they already have the land picked out and nearly all the money theyll need to buy it. This news piques the black mans interest. Shyly, Crooks suggests that maybe they could take him along with them. But Curleys wife appears and interrupts the mens daydreaming. Curleys wife asks about her husband, then says she knows that the men went to a brothel, cruelly observing that they left all the weak ones here. Crooks and Candy tell her to go away, but instead she starts talking about her loneliness and her unhappy marriage. Candy insists that she leave and says proudly that even if she got them fired, they could go off and buy their own place to live. Curleys wife laughs at him, then bitterly complains about her life with Curley. She sums up her situation, admitting that she feels pathetic to want company so desperately that she is willing to talk to the likes of Crooks, Candy, and Lennie. She asks what happened to her husbands hand, and does not believe the men when they insist that he got it caught in a machine. She teases Lennie about the bruises on his face, deducing that he got injured in the scuffle with Curley. Fed up, Crooks insists that she leave before he tells the boss about her wicked ways, and she responds by asking if he knows what she can do to him if he says anything. The implication is clear that she could easily have him lynched, and he cowers. Candy 15

says that he hears the men coming back, which finally makes her leave, but not before she tells Lennie that she is glad he beat her husband. George appears, and criticizes Candy for talking about their farm in front of other people. As the white men leave Crooks, he changes his mind about going to the farm with them, calling out, I wouldn want to go no place like that.

b) Analysis
This section introduces the character of Crooks, who has previously only made a brief appearance. Like the other men in the novella, Crooks is a lonely figure. Like Candy, a physical disability sets him apart from the other workers, and makes him worry that he will soon wear out his usefulness on the ranch. Crookss isolation is compounded by the fact that, as a black man, he is relegated to sleep in a room in the stables; he is not allowed in the white ranch-hands quarters and not invited to play cards or visit brothels with them. He feels this isolation keenly and has an understandably bitter reaction to it. The character of Crooks is an authorial achievement on several levels. First, Crooks broadens the social significance of the story by offering race as another context by which to understand Steinbecks central thesis. The reader has already witnessed how the world conspires to crush men who are debilitated by physical or mental infirmities. With Crooks, the same unjust, predatory rules hold true for people based on the color of their skin. Crookss race is the only weapon Curleys wife needs to render him completely powerless. When she suggests that she could have him lynched, he can mount no defense. The second point to note about Crookss character is that he is less of an easily categorized type than the characters that surround him. Lennie might be a bit too innocent and Curley a bit too antagonistic for the reader to believe in them as real, complex human beings. Crooks, on the other hand, exhibits an ambivalence that makes him one of the more complicated and believably human characters in the novella. He is able to condemn Lennies talk of the farm as foolishness, but becomes seduced by it nonetheless. Furthermore, bitter as he is about his exclusion from the other men, Crooks feels grateful for Lennies company. When Candy, too, enters Crookss room, it is difficult for Crooks to conceal his pleasure with anger. Yet, as much as he craves companionship, he cannot

16

help himself from lashing out at Lennie with unkind suggestions that George has been hurt and will not return. Crookss behavior serves to further the readers understanding of the predatory nature of the ranch-hands world. Not only will the strong attack the weak but the weak will attack the weaker. In a better world, Crooks, Lennie, and even Curleys wife might have formed an alliance, wherein the various attributes for which society punishes them being black, being mentally disabled, and being female, respectivelywould bring them together. On the ranch, however, they are pitted against one another. Crooks berates Lennie until Lennie threatens to do him physical harm; Crooks accuses Curleys wife of being a tramp; and she, in turn, threatens to have him lynched. As she stands in the doorway to Crookss room looking over at the men, she draws attention to their weaknesses. Deriding them as a nigger an a dum-dum and a lousy ol sheep, she viciously but accurately lays bare the perceptions by which they are ostracized by society. Like Crooks, Curleys wife displays a heartbreaking vulnerability in this scene, readily and shamelessly confessing her loneliness and her unhappy marriage. But because she is as pathetic as the men who sit before her, she seeks out the sources of their weakness and attacks them.

Chapter 5 a) Summary
During a Sunday afternoon, as Lennie stands alone in the barn, mourning the death of his puppy, wondering why it died, since it aint so little as mice. Worrying that George will be angry and will not let him raise the rabbits on their farm, he starts to bury it in the hay. He decides to tell George that he found it dead but then realizes that George will see through this lie. Frustrated, he curses the dog for dying and hurls it across the room. Soon, though, Lennie retrieves the puppy, strokes it again, and reasons that perhaps George wont care, since the puppy meant nothing to George. As he talks to himself, Curleys wife enters and sits beside him. He hastily hides the puppy and tells her that George ordered him not to speak to her. She reassures him that it is safe for him to talk to her, pointing out that the other men are occupied with a 17

horseshoe tournament outside and will not interrupt them. She discovers the puppy and consoles him about its death, declaring that the whole country is fulla mutts. She then complains about her loneliness and the cold treatment she gets from the ranch-hands. She tells Lennie about her dreams of living a different life. She reveals that her mother denied her the opportunity to join a traveling show when she was fifteen and then, years later, a talent scout spotted her and promised to take her to Hollywood to become a movie star. When nothing came of it, she decided to marry Curley, whom she dislikes. Lennie continues to talk about his rabbits, and she asks him why he likes animals so much. Lennie replies that he likes to touch soft things with his fingers. She admits that she likes the same thing, and offers to let him stroke her hair. She warns him not to muss it, but he quickly becomes excited and holds on too tight, frightening her. When she cries out, Lennie panics and clamps his strong hands over her mouth to silence her. The more she struggles, the tighter his grip becomes, and he shakes her until her body goes limp. Lennie has broken her neck. The barn goes still as Lennie realizes what he has done. He tries to bury Curleys wife in the hay, worrying chiefly that George will be angry with him. Taking the puppys body with him, he flees toward the meeting place that George designates at the books openingthe clearing in the woods. Candy comes looking for Lennie and finds the body. He calls George, who realizes immediately what has happened. George expresses the hope that maybe Lennie will just be locked up and still be treated well, but Candy tells him that Curley is sure to have Lennie lynched. Candy asks George if the two of them can still buy the farm, but sees from Georges face that the idea is now impossible. George says quietly that he thinks he knew all along that it would never happen, but because Lennie liked the idea so much, he had started to believe it himself. George worries that the other men will think that he had something to do with the death of Curleys wife, so he instructs Candy how to inform them. George will pretend that he has not seen the body and act surprised when Candy delivers the news. George exits, and Candy curses Curleys wife for destroying their dream of a farm. After a few moments, his eyes full of tears, he goes to alert the rest of the ranch. A crowd soon gathers. George comes in last, with his coat buttoned up. Curley demands that they find Lennie and kill

18

him. Carlson reports that his gun is missing, and assumes that Lennie must have taken it. Curley orders them to fetch Crookss shotgun, and the mob sets off after Lennie.

b) Analysis
The scene in the barn begins ominously, with Lennie holding his puppy, now dead, and stroking it in the same way he stroked the dead mouse at the beginning of the work. All sense of optimism for the farm or the freedom the men would have on it dissolves now that Lennies unwittingly dangerous nature has reasserted itself. When Curleys wife appears and insists on talking with Lennie, the reader senses that something tragic is about to ensue. Perhaps the most significant development in this chapter is Steinbecks depiction of Curleys wife. Before this episode, the reader might dismiss her as easily as George does. She shows herself to be a flirt, a conscious temptress, and a manipulator. However, in the final moments before her death, Steinbeck presents his sole female character sympathetically. Her loneliness becomes the focus of this scene, as she admits that she too has an idea of paradise that circumstances have denied her. Her dream of being a movie star is not unlike Georges fantasy of the farm; both are desperately held views of the way life should be, which have long persisted despite their conflict with reality.10 Curleys wife seems to sense, like Crooks (who notes earlier that Lennie is a good man to talk to), that because Lennie doesnt understand things, a person can say almost anything to him. She confesses her unhappiness in her marriage, her lonely life, and her broken dreams in a passion of communication. Unfortunately, she fails to see the danger in Lennie, and her attempt to console him for the loss of his puppy by letting him stroke her hair leads to her tragic death. One might take issue with Steinbecks description of her corpse, for only in her death does he grant her any semblance of virtue. Once she lies lifeless on the hay, Steinbeck writes that all the marks of an unhappy life have disappeared from her face, leaving her looking pretty and simple . . . sweet and young. The story has spent considerable time maligning women, and much has been made of their troublesome and seductive natures. It is disturbing, then, that Steinbeck seems to subtly imply that the only way for a woman to overcome that nature and restore her lost innocence is through death. 19

Lennies flight from the barn shifts the focus of the narrative to George. As George realizes what Lennie has done, the painful mission that he must undertake becomes clear to him. Here, as in the earlier scene with Candys dog, Slim becomes the voice of reason, pointing out that the best option for Lennie now is for him to be killed. George understands that he has a choice: either he can watch his friend be murdered by Curleys lynch mob or he can do the deed himself. With this realization, the idea of the farm and the good life it represents disappears. Candy clings to that idealized hope, asking George if they can still buy the farm, but Georges response is among the most insightful and realistic responses in the novella. There is no room for dreaming in such a difficult and inhospitable world.

Chapter 6 a) Summary
In the same riverbed where the story began, it is a beautiful, serene late afternoon. A heron stands in a shaded green pool, eating water snakes that glide between its legs. Lennie comes stealing through the undergrowth and kneels by the water to drink. He is proud of himself for remembering to come here to wait for George, but soon has two unpleasant visions. His Aunt Clara appears from out of Lennies head and berates him, speaking in Lennies own voice, for not listening to George, for getting himself into trouble, and for causing so many problems for his only friend. Then a gigantic rabbit appears to him, also speaking in Lennies own voice, and tells him that George will probably beat him and abandon him. Just then, George appears. He is uncommonly quiet and listless. He does not berate Lennie. Even when Lennie himself insists on it, Georges tirade is unconvincing and scripted. He repeats his usual words of reproach without emotion. Lennie makes his usual offer to go away and live in a cave, and George tells him to stay, making Lennie feel comforted and hopeful. Lennie asks him to tell the story of their farm, and George begins, talking about how most men drift along, without any companions, but he and Lennie have one another. The noises of men in the woods come closer, and George tells Lennie to take off his hat and look across the river while he describes their farm. He tells Lennie about the rabbits, and promises that nobody will ever be mean to him again. Les do it now, Lennie says. 20

Les get that place now. George agrees. He raises Carlsons gun, which he has removed from his jacket, and shoots Lennie in the back of the head. As Lennie falls to the ground and becomes still, George tosses the gun away and sits down on the riverbank. The sound of the shot brings the lynch party running to the clearing. Carlson questions George, who lets them believe that he wrestled the gun from Lennie and shot him with it. Only Slim understands what really happened: You hadda, George. I swear you hadda, he tells him. Slim leads George, who is numb with grief, away from the scene, while Carlson and Curley watch incredulously, wondering what is eatin them two guys.

b) Analysis
The scene begins with an idyllic description of a splendid twilight in the forests clearing, by the river. The author creates the impression of repeating the details used in the descriptive paragraphs from the beginning of the novella, but it is only an illusion, as the places beauty is now shadowed by the characters suffering. In order to illustrate the cruel, predator world, and the tragic end of those that let their guard down, the author gives the example of an unsuspecting snake, snatched out of the river by a large heron. Death does not give second chances to those unaware; this seems to be Steinbecks message. The snakes death, which is followed by Lennies arrival at the clearing, seems to foretell the characters unforgiving fate. George and Lennies final scene is filled with sorrow, in spite of Lennies unassuming ignorance, which lasts until the very end. As a last act of friendship, George coaxes a scared, stricken by guilt Lennie into believing that things will go back to their normal course, and forces himself to participate one more time into their ritual of chastisement and forgiveness. George pretends to be angry, only to create the context of forgiving his friend and telling him, afterwards, the story of their farm. This one last image of the farm they have hoped to own one day represents a surrender of Georges illusions. The dream begins to crumble in Georges mind as soon as he realizes that all the plans he has believed in will lead to nothing. He bitterly realizes that he is just one more migrant laborer among many others, who, like him, will never gain enough to afford more than the expense of a drink, or of a paid woman, now and then. Georges hope of a different life perishes along with Lennie, the one that had given his life a 21

purpose and conferred him distinction among the crowd of ordinary men. The depressed tone in which the novella ends insinuates that a world full of ruthlessness and unfairness leaves no place for dreams. To the men arriving later at the riverbank, Lennies death is seen as an act of justice upon a lunatic who had murdered a defenseless woman. Slim is the only one that is able to comprehend Georges pain and tries to provide some comfort, guiding him away from the scene, under the bewildered expressions of Curley and Carlson, whose ignorance impedes them from understanding the mourning of a friendship as unique and as strong as George and Lennies.

4) Characters
George: George is the story's main protagonist, a small, quick man with welldefined features. A migrant ranch worker, George dreams of one day saving enough money to buy his own place and be his own boss, living off of the land. The hindrance to his objective is his mentally handicapped companion, Lennie, with whom he has traveled and worked since Lennie's Aunt Clara, whom George knew, died. The majority of George's energy is devoted to looking after Lennie, whose blunders prevent George from working toward his dream, or even living the life of a normal rancher. Thus, George's conflict arises in Lennie, to whom he has the ties of long-time companionship that he so often yearns to break in order to live the life of which he dreams. This tension strains George into demonstrating various emotions, ranging from anger to patience to sadness to pride and to hope.

Lennie: George's companion, the source of the novel's conflict. Lennie,

enormous, ungainly, and mentally slow, is George's polar opposite both mentally and physically. Lennie's ignorance and innocence and helplessness, his childish actions, such as his desire to pet soft things, contrast his physical bulk, making him likeable to readers. Although devoid of cruel intentions, Lennie's stupidity and carelessness cause him to unwittingly harm animals and people, which creates trouble for both him and George. Lennie is tirelessly devoted to George and delights in hearing him tell of the dream of having a farm, but he does not desire the dream of the American worker in the same way 22

that George does. His understanding of George's dream is more childish and he grows excited at the possibility of tending the future rabbits, most likely because it will afford him a chance to pet their soft hides as much as he wishes. Nevertheless, a dream is a dream, different for everyone, and George and Lennie share the similar attribute of desiring what they haven't got. Lennie, however, is helpless to attain his dream, and remains a static character throughout, relying on George to fuel is hope and save him from trouble.

Candy: The old, one-handed swamper who is the first to befriend George and
Lennie at Soledad. Humble and weary, Candy seems to be at the end of his line after Carlson shoots his last possession and companion, his old, blind dog. "When they can me here I wisht somebody'd shoot me", Candy confesses to George and Lennie, hoping for a similar fate as his dog. But when he overhears the two talking of their little place, Candy offers all his money and his meager services to be in on the dream. His substantial sum of money and the fact that he knows of a place make it impossible for George to refuse him. Candy clings to this hope of a future as a drowning man would to a piece of driftwood. It rekindles life within him, but it also becomes an obsession, and in his excitement and indignation, he lets the secret slip to both Crooks and Curley's wife. And when Lennie kills Curley's wife and shatters the reality of the dream, Candy becomes hopeless and full of anguish, the broken shell of a man.

Curley: The boxer, the son of the boss, the angry and hot-headed obstacle to
George's attempt to keep Lennie out of trouble at Soledad. Insecure of his size and overprotective of his wife, Curley is eager to fight anyone he perceives as a threat to his selfimage. From the outset, Lennie unwittingly incurs Curley's antagonism simply because of his size, and the reader immediately braces for future confrontation. Curley remains undeveloped, forever little and forever mean, poking his head in at various points in the novel, either to look for his wife or to stir up trouble on account of her.

Curley's Wife: Nameless and flirtatious, Curley's wife is perceived by Candy to

be the cause of all that goes wrong at Soledad: "Ever'body knowed you'd mess things up. 23

You wasn't no good", he says to her dead body in his grief. The workers, George included, see her as having "the eye" for every guy on the ranch, and they cite this as the reason for Curley's insecurity and hot-headed temperament. But Curley's wife adds complexity to her own characterization, confessing to Lennie that she dislikes Curley because he is angry all the time and saying that she comes around because she is lonely and just wants someone with whom to talk. Like George and Lennie, she once had a dream of becoming an actress and living in Hollywood, but it went unrealized, leaving her full of self-pity, married to an angry man, living on a ranch without friends, and viewed as a trouble-maker by everyone.

Crooks: Called such because of a crooked spine, Steinbeck does not develop
Crooks, the Negro stable buck, until the fourth chapter, describing him as a "proud, aloof man. He kept his distance and demanded that other people keep theirs". Crooks is bitter, indignant, angry, and ultimately frustrated by his helplessness as a black man in a racist culture. Wise and observant, Crooks listens to Lennie's talk of the dream of the farm with cynicism. Although tempted by Candy, Lennie, and George's plan to buy their own place, Crooks is constantly reminded (in this case by Curley's wife) that he is inferior to whites and, out of pride, he refuses to take part in their future farm.

Slim: The tall, jerkline skinner whom Steinbeck describes as something of a

living legend: "he moved with a majesty only achieved by royalty and master craftsmen. He was a jerkline skinner, the prince of the ranch, capable of driving ten, sixteen, even twenty mules with a single line to the leaders. He was capable of killing a fly on the wheeler's butt with a bull whip without touching the mule. There was gravity in his manner and a quiet so profound that all talk stopped when he spoke. . . His hatchet face was ageless. He might have been thirty-fice or fifty. HIs ear heard more than was said to him, and his slow speech had overtones not of thought, but of understanding beyond thought". Slim lingers in the shadow of his overwhelming description throughout the novel. He serves as the fearless, decision-maker when conflicts arise among the workers and wins the confidence of George, offering advice, comfort, and quiet words of wisdom.

24

5) Major themes
Loneliness of the itinerant worker
If one theme can be thought of as defining the plot and symbolism of Of Mice and Men, that theme is loneliness. In many ways, from the outspoken to the subtle (such as Steinbeck's decision to set the novel near Soledad, California, a town name that means "solitude" in Spanish), the presence of loneliness defines the actions of the diverse characters in the book. The itinerant farm worker of the Great Depression found it nearly impossible to establish a fixed home. These men were forced to wander from ranch to ranch seeking temporary employment, to live in bunk houses with strangers, and to suffer the abuses of arbitrary bosses. George sums up the misery of this situation at several points during his monologues to Lennie - "Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don't belong no place". Of course, as George's monologue puts it, "With [George and Lennie] it ain't like that." He and Lennie have found companionship; they watch out for one another. And beyond that, they have a dream of finding a fixed place they could call home, a farm of their own. They are doing what they can to resist sinking into miserable loneliness, which seems to be the lot of so many other itinerant workers. This dream, of course, does not come to fruition, and indeed Steinbeck seems to have designed his bleak world to preclude the possibility of escape from the cycles of loneliness and hollow companionship (whether found in drink, in prostitutes, in gambling) that come with financial hardship and dislocation.

Loneliness at home

25

And it's not just the workers - most of the characters in Of Mice and Men exhibit signs of desperate isolation, including those who can be said to have settled into a permanent situation. Candy, the only other character (aside from Lennie and George) who has an unconditional love for a fellow creature (in Candy's case, his old and feeble dog), is left utterly bereft when Carlson takes his dog out back and shoots it. Candy's immediate attachment to George and Lennie's plan to settle on a farm of their own can be seen as a natural emotional progression following his loss - he looks for new companionship, now that he has lost his poor dog. Of the other characters, Crooks and Curley's wife also show signs of desperate loneliness, though they respond quite differently. Each is isolated because of special mistreatment. Because Crooks is black, he is shunned by the other men; as we see at the beginning of Chapter Four, he spends his time in his room, alone and bitter. Curley's wife also spends her days hounded by her mean-spirited husband; her attempts to reach out to the other men backfire and win her the (not undeserved) reputation of a flirt. Both characters, despite their hard and bitter shells, reveal a desire to overcome their loneliness and win friends. Their efforts hinge on Lennie, whose feeble-mindedness renders him unaware of the social stigmas attached to the two. Of course both episodes Lennie's visit with Crooks in Chapter Four and his talk with Curley's wife in Chapter Five - end (respectively) in bitterness and tragedy. Thus Steinbeck further reinforces the bleakness of life in his fictional world. The one man who could serve as a nonjudgmental companion cannot coexist safely with others.

Alienation from nature

One of the driving forces of discontent in Of Mice and Men, and of Lennie and George's dream of securing a farm, is the alienation of the working man from the land. Itinerant workers only fulfill one step in the long chain of tasks leading from planting to harvest - they seed the earth, or they haul in the crop, and then they move on, never establishing a connection with the cycles of the natural world. George and Lennie's dream of "a few acres" addresses this alienation. They speak of their dream in terms of planting and gardening - they are eager to perform the tasks 26

necessary to live off the land. Their talk about raising cows and drinking their milk, about planting and tending a vegetable garden, contrasts starkly with their actual diet - cans of beans with (if they're lucky) ketchup. The concept of alienation from nature owes much to the writings of Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels and other communist thinkers. They argued that the rise of industrial economy corresponds to a loss of contact with the natural processes of life. Where a human being was once connected, like the animal he is, to the whole of life (the production of food, shelter, clothing, etc.), in an industrialized world he is reduced to a simple role (lift this hay, sew this hem, rivet this bolt a thousand times) in a larger, bureaucratically-managed workforce. This state of alienation, according to Marx, can fuel a discontent among the workers that leads to revolution. Steinbeck allows us to glimpse at a general malaise that might lead to a "soft revolution" of sorts in Chapter Four, when the outcasts of the ranch fantasize about starting their ranch together. As with most things in this tragic novel, their dreaming comes to naught.

"The Rabbits"
During the novel's opening and closing chapters, Steinbeck describes the activity of the natural world. These passages are rich and interpretable in many directions: it's worth singling out the first of the novel's many allusions to rabbits. Steinbeck writes that the rabbits happily "sit on the sand," and are then disturbed by the arrival of George and Lennie - they "hurr[y] noiselessly for cover". Not until later does this little detail take on a richer significance - rabbits, we learn, represent for Lennie (and George, to a lesser extent) the dream of obtaining a farm of their own and living "off the fatta the lan'". The scattering of the rabbits at the beginning suggests already that this dream will prove elusive. Because Lennie thinks in concrete terms of his own pleasure, he equates the tending of rabbits - whose soft fur he wishes to pet - with the attainment of utter happiness. Thus he has developed a shorthand for referring to the plan George and he share to start a farm of their own - "I remember about the rabbits". Lennie takes deep pride in the notion that he would be entrusted to raise the rabbits, to protect them, to feed

27

them out of their alfalfa patch. He places the entirety of his future happiness on this one image of caring for rabbits. This dream of the rabbits becomes literally a dream at the end of the novel, when Lennie hallucinates a giant rabbit who tells him that he will never be allowed to tend rabbits. This highlights the extent to which Lennie bases his entire life around the goal of tending rabbits. Indeed, his only thought after doing something "bad" - whether killing a puppy or killing Curley's wife, all "bad things" seem roughly equivalent in Lennie's mind - is that George will not allow him to tend the rabbits. The manner in which he fails to see his actions in terms of good and evil, and instead views them as good or bad insofar as they are conducive to his ability to pet rabbits, reveals definitively how unfit Lennie is for society.

Women
Of Mice and Men depicts very few women - which shouldn't be surprising considering the characters with whom the novel is concerned. These itinerant laborers don't have an opportunity to settle down with women in mutually respectful relationships, it seems. Instead, they seek the company of prostitutes for "a flop" on the weekends and make due otherwise. However their attitudes toward women may be tied to their dissatisfying life, the views expressed on the subject have every reason to give the modern reader pause. George expresses respect for only two sorts of women in the novel - on the one hand, the maternal figure represented by Aunt Clara, whose charge to take care of Lennie he has taken on as a responsibility; on the other hand, George respects prostitutes. He says, "Give me a good whore house every time". George likes how straight-forward the arrangement at a house of prostitution is. The one major female character in the novel, who is not even given a name of her own, does not fit neatly into either category. She is a domestic figure - after all, she is married to Curley and spends most of her time at home - and, at the same time, a flirtatious, highly sexualized figure. Her status, between domesticity and prostitution, makes her extremely problematic in the novel, a source of anxiety and unrest. She leads to trouble, as George immediately observes she will. 28

A reader might raise an eyebrow at Steinbeck's simple willingness to pin the role of trouble-maker on one unnamed woman. Curley's wife is regularly used as a scapegoat in the novel. She is blamed for the lustful feelings she inspires. Even after she has been tragically killed, Candy shouts misogynist insults at her corpse. Curley's wife's life, clearly, is miserable, yet we are not encouraged to see things from her perspective. Even when she expresses her miserable loneliness, these episodes are followed by instances of manipulation, of threatening. Her death is hardly poignant - and indeed, her corpse is praised more in death than she was in life. The reader has every reason to question Steinbeck's motives in giving us such an unsympathetic view of this woman - and, by association, women in general.

"Handiness" in violence and sex

One of the ways that Steinbeck creates such depth in his novels is that he associates certain images with multiple interpretive dimensions. For instance, "the rabbits" captures Lennie's innocent love of tactile stimulation, his participation in George's dream of establishing a farm of their own, and the threat of his daunting strength. Every cuddly thing he's touched, after all, has died - just as the dream of the rabbits dies. Another such image, though perhaps less obvious, is that of hands. Steinbeck speaks of hands regularly in Of Mice and Men, most often associating them with the common dualism of sex and violence. The image hinges on the character of Curley - a man both outspokenly pugnacious and lecherous. In the description immediately following Curley's first entrance, he is described as "handy". The term, in this first context, makes reference to his eagerness and ability to fight. He is handy with his fists, so to speak. Later in the same conversation we hear of a second association with Curley's hands. Candy says that he wears one glove "fulla vaseline" and adds, "Curley says he's keepin' that hand soft for his wife". Thus Curley's hands are tied to sex as well as violence. He fights with the one hand and keeps the other hand soft. Thus, with this association in place, it's clear why Curley is so humiliated following his fight with Lennie. Lennie crushes his hand, which thus symbolizes not only his loss in terms of fighting ability, but also in terms of sexual power. Lennie proves the 29

better man in both senses. The defeat is thus a symbolic castration of sorts. This symbolism is reinforced when Curley's wife appears to find the big man's defeat of her husband alluring - "I like machines". Of course, Lennie has no idea that he is causing such problems in the realms of sex and violence - he cannot understand these concepts himself. But this only reinforces the sense that such a dangerous, potent, unreflective man cannot continue to operate in the company of others.

Meanness
In the action and language of the novel, Steinbeck explores some of the multiple meanings embedded in the idea of "meanness." First, the word captures the most obvious definition of the term - a "mean" person is, like Curley, petulant, nasty, bullying. Both George and Lennie express their distaste for this sort of man. George says that he "don't like mean little guys". Curley's relish for violence and his constant urge to pick fights contrasts directly with Lennie's comparatively "innocent" violence. After Lennie accidentally kills Curley's wife and buries her in the hay, George notes that Lennie "never done it in meanness". Lennie kills out of cuddling, or blind panic. He loves things to death. A second resonance in the concept of meanness has to do with Lennie and Curley's respective sizes - Curley is a "mean little guy." The word "mean" can also refer to the average, the petty, the small. Curley, in other words, is small not in size alone, but also in his petty actions. He is of average size and terribly anxious about that. Thus he, the mean one, takes out his frustrations on Lennie, who is anything but average. Finally, the word captures a related third meaning - that of intentionality. Curley (and others) act with meaning. When Curley gets into a fight, he means to get into a fight. His violence is premeditated and calculating. In contrast, Lennie does not really know how to mean to do anything. He is, in this sense, a character without personal meaning. He cannot think ahead, nor can he learn from his past actions - he is stuck in a constant present (with the childish exception of the dream of the rabbits), petting pretty things as he finds them and obeying orders as he receives them. This third resonance is captured when George tells Lennie not to play with his puppy too much. Lennie replies, "I didn't mean no harm, George. Honest I didn't. I jus' wanted to pet'um a little". Lennie never 30

means to be mean - he never means much at all. This, however, renders him all the more dangerous, given his crushing strength.

Social fitness
One concept that Steinbeck clearly borrows from biology is that of environmental fitness. His characters can be described as fit or unfit for their social roles on the basis of their physical and intellectual abilities. Candy, for instance, is an aged and hunchbacked man who is thus relegated to a low place in the social hierarchy - he is a swamper. (In contrast, Slim, the most respected and impressive worker on the ranch, is described as "ageless.") Similarly to Candy, Crooks - named for his crooked back - works menial tasks. The relegation of these men to such unrewarding jobs may be cruel, Steinbeck suggests, but so is life. As long as they remain isolated and individualized (rather than collective, where they could find power in numbers), these "sub-par" people are treated disrespectfully. The same rule applies just as mercilessly to other characters in the novel, animal and human alike. Candy's old dog, for instance, is judged offensive by the more fit members of the bunk house society - Slim and Carlson - and so the dog is killed. Candy can do nothing to stop this; he is weak, and in this world the strong survive. The dog himself is a symbol of the cruel fate that awaits the feeble. His crime is smelling bad, and though there are other solutions to this problem - a bath, a new place to sleep - Carlson insists upon killing him. Lennie, clearly, is not fit to live in society as it exists in Of Mice and Men. His intellectual weakness parallels Candy's physical weakness. He lacks a basic sense of right and wrong, fails to control his dangerous physical power, and cannot look after himself. When, in the end, he is effectively euthanized by George, we see that even his friend and companion has accepted that Lennie, like Candy's dog, is better off dead. Steinbeck invites the reader to have a complex emotional response to this bitter truth. After all, Lennie is quite likable and, when around George, controllable. But this doesn't stop the inevitable, bleak truth of Steinbeck's Darwinian social world - in which the unfit attract scorn, rather than sympathy, for their impairments.

31

6) Quotations
1. Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They dont belong no place. . . . With us it aint like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us. We dont have to sit in no bar room blowin in our jack jus because we got no place else to go. If them other guys gets in jail they can rot for all anybody gives a damn. But not us. Toward the end of Chapter 1, before George and Lennie reach the ranch, they camp for the night in a beautiful clearing and George assures Lennie of their special relationship. In this passage, George explains their friendship, which forms the heart of the work. In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck idealizes male friendships, suggesting that they are the most dignified and satisfying way to overcome the loneliness that pervades the world. As a self-declared watchdog of society, Steinbeck set out to expose and chronicle the circumstances that cause human suffering. Here, George relates that loneliness is responsible for much of that suffering, a theory supported by many of the secondary characters. Later in the narrative, Candy, Crooks, and Curleys wife all give moving speeches about their loneliness and disappointments in life. Human beings, the book suggests, are at their best when they have someone else to look to for guidance and protection. George reminds Lennie that they are extremely lucky to have each other since most men do not enjoy this comfort, especially men like George and Lennie, who exist on the margins of society. Their bond is made to seem especially rare and precious since the majority of the world does not understand or appreciate it. At the end, when Lennie accidentally kills Curleys wife, Candy does not register the tragedy of Lennies impending death. Instead, he asks if he and George can still purchase the farm without Lennie. In this environment, in which human life is utterly disposable, only Slim recognizes that the loss of such a beautiful and powerful friendship should be mourned.

32

2. Spose they was a carnival or a circus come to town, or a ball game, or any damn thing. Old Candy nodded in appreciation of the idea. Wed just go to her, George said. We wouldnt ask nobody if we could. Jus say, Well go to her, an we would. Jus milk the cow and sling some grain to the chickens an go to her. In the middle of Chapter 3, George describes their vision of the farm to Candy. At first, when Candy overhears George and Lennie discussing the farm they intend to buy, George is guarded, telling the old man to mind his own business. However, as soon as Candy offers up his life savings for a down payment on the property, Georges vision of the farm becomes even more real. Described in rustic but lyrical language, the farm is the fuel that keeps the men going. Life is hard for the men on the ranch and yields few rewards, but George, Lennie, and now Candy go on because they believe that one day they will own their own place. The appeal of this dream rests in the freedom it symbolizes, its escape from the backbreaking work and spirit-breaking will of others. It provides comfort from psychological and even physical turmoil, most obviously for Lennie. For instance, after Curley beats him, Lennie returns to the idea of tending his rabbits to soothe his pain. Under their current circumstances, the men must toil to satisfy the boss or his son, Curley, but they dream of a time when their work will be easy and determined by themselves only. Georges words describe a timeless, typically American dream of liberty, self-reliance, and the ability to pursue happiness.

3. A guy sets alone out here at night, maybe readin books or thinkin or stuff like that. Sometimes he gets thinkin, an he got nothing to tell him whats so an what aint so. Maybe if he sees somethin, he dont know whether its right or not. He cant turn to some other guy and ast him if he sees it too. He cant tell. He got nothing to measure by. I seen things out here. I wasnt drunk. I dont know if I was asleep. If some guy was with me, he could tell me I was asleep, an then it would be all right. But I jus dont know.

33

Crooks speaks these words to Lennie in Chapter 4, on the night that Lennie visits Crooks in his room. The old stable-hand admits to the very loneliness that George describes in the opening pages of the novella. As a black man with a physical handicap, Crooks is forced to live on the periphery of ranch life. He is not even allowed to enter the white mens bunkhouse, or join them in a game of cards. His resentment typically comes out through his bitter, caustic wit, but in this passage he displays a sad, touching vulnerability. Crookss desire for a friend by whom to measure things echoes Georges earlier description of the life of a migrant worker. Because these men feel such loneliness, it is not surprising that the promise of a farm of their own and a life filled with strong, brotherly bonds holds such allure. 4. I seen hundreds of men come by on the road an on the ranches, with their bindles on their back an that same damn thing in their heads . . . every damn one of ems got a little piece of land in his head. An never a God damn one of em ever gets it. Just like heaven. Everbody wants a little piece of lan. I read plenty of books out here. Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land. In this passage from Chapter 4, after Lennie shares with Crooks his plan to buy a farm with George and raise rabbits, Crooks tries to deflate Lennies hopes. He relates that hundreds of men have passed through the ranch, all of them with dreams similar to Lennies. Not one of them, he emphasizes with bitterness, ever manages to make that dream come true. Crooks injects the scene with a sense of reality, reminding the reader, if not the childlike Lennie, that the dream of a farm is, after all, only a dream. This moment establishes Crookss character, showing how a lifetime of loneliness and oppression can manifest as cruelty. It also furthers Steinbecks disturbing observation that those who have strength and power in the world are not the only ones responsible for oppression. As Crooks shows, even those who are oppressed seek out and attack those who are even weaker than they.

34

5. A water snake glided smoothly up the pool, twisting its periscope head from side to side; and it swam the length of the pool and came to the legs of a motionless heron that stood in the shallows. A silent head and beak lanced down and plucked it out by the head, and the beak swallowed the little snake while its tail waved frantically. The rich imagery with which Steinbeck begins Chapter 6, the powerful conclusion, evokes the novellas dominant themes. After killing Curleys wife, Lennie returns to the clearing that he and George designate, at the beginning of the book, as a meeting place should they be separated or run into trouble. Here Steinbeck describes much of the natural splendor as revealed in the opening pages of the work. The images of the valley and mountains, the climbing sun, and the shaded pool suggest a natural paradise, like the Garden of Eden. The readers sense of return to a paradise of security and comfort is furthered by the knowledge that George and Lennie have claimed this space as a safe haven, a place to which they can return in times of trouble. This paradise, however, is lost. The snake sliding through the water recalls the conclusion of the story of Eden, in which the forces of evil appeared as a snake and caused humanitys fall from grace. Steinbeck is a master at symbolism, and here he skillfully employs both the snake and heron to emphasize the predatory nature of the world and to foreshadow Lennies imminent death. The snake that glides through the waters without harm at the beginning of the story is now unsuspectingly snatched from the world of the living. Soon, Lennies life will be taken from him, and he will be just as unsuspecting as the snake when the final blow is delivered.

III. Conclusion
35

Of Mice and Men is a tale of friendship that triumphs over the odds. But, the novel is also extremely telling about the society in which it is set. Without becoming dogmatic or formulaic, the novel examines many of the prejudices at the time: racism, sexism and prejudice towards those with disabilities. The power of John Steinbeck's writing is that he treats these issues in purely human terms. He sees society's prejudices in terms of individual tragedies, and his characters attempts to escape from those prejudices. The literary power of Of Mice and Men rests firmly on the relationship between the two central characters, their friendship and their shared dream. These two men are so very different, but they come together, stay together, and support each other in a world full of people who are destitute and alone. Their brotherhood and fellowship is an achievement of enormous humanity. They sincerely believe in their dream. All they want is a small piece of land that they can call their own. They want to grow their own crops, and they want to breed rabbits. That dream cements their relationship and strikes a chord so convincingly for the reader. George and Lennie's dream is the American dream. Their desires are both very particular to the 1930's but also universal. In a way, Of Mice and Men is an extremely despondent novel. The novel shows the dreams of a small group of people and then contrasts these dreams with a reality that is unreachable, which they cannot achieve. Even though the dream never becomes reality, Steinbeck does leave us with an optimistic message. George and Lennie do not achieve their dream, but their friendship stands out as a shining example of how people can live and love even in a word of alienation and disconnectedness. Of Mice and Men is more than a little book about a certain time and place; it covers friendship and sacrifice, not to mention a healthy dose of the bittersweet futility of holding onto dreams. Even as Steinbeck was reworking the text as a play script, he was developing its broader themes and context for his masterwork Grapes of Wrath. Of Mice and Men can be thought of as a sketch for that great painting, though it still stands alone. For its stark and unflinching observations, this is one of Steinbecks best-loved pieces and a significant contribution to his Nobel Prize in literature.

IV. Bibliography
36

Bloom, Harold. John Steinbecks Of Mice and Men. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1999. George, Stephen K. The Moral Philosophy of John Steinbeck. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2005. Hadella, Charlotte. Of Mice and Men: A Kinship of Powerlessness. New York: Twayne Publishers, 1995. Harmon, Robert B. Steinbeck Bibliographies: An Annotated Guide. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1987. Hayashi, Tetsumaro, ed. John Steinbeck: The Years of Greatness, 19361939. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 1993. Meyer, Michael J. The Betrayal of Brotherhood in the Work of John Steinbeck. Lewiston, NY: Edwin Mellen Press, 2000. Parini, Jay. John Steinbeck: A Biography. London: Heinemann, 1994. St. Pierre, Brian. John Steinbeck, The California Years. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1983. Schultz, Jeffrey. Critical Companion to John Steinbeck: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work. New York: Checkmark Books, 2005. Simmonds, Roy S. A Biographical and Critical Introduction of John Steinbeck. Lewiston, NY: Edwin Mellen Press, 2000. Swisher, Clarice, ed. Readings on John Steinbeck. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996. SparkNotes Editors. SparkNote on Of Mice and Men. SparkNotes.com. Jackson J. Benson. The Short Novels of John Steinbeck. Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 1990. Harold Bloom. Of Mice and Men: Bloom's Notes. New York: Chelsea House, 1996. Charlotte Hadella. Of Mice and Men: A Kinship of Powerlessness. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 1995.

37